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Monthly Archives: June 2015

On Earth Day I went to hear Ari Friedlaender, professor and marine biologist at Oregon State University talk at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. His talk was supposed to be about tagging whales in Antarctica, but it turned out more of a slide show of his photographs, which are beautiful.

I found it helpful since I wrote a novella about a woman who is a deckhand on an anti-whaling ship. Friedlaender gave a sense of what it would be like in the coldest, driest, highest, most remote and extreme part of the planet. I can imagine my character, Sarah’s, blood boiling from witnessing a whale being harpooned in one of the most beautiful and serene places wanting to jump into the water to save the whale but can’t because she’d freeze to death.

Friedlaender showed a chart of how many whales have died from 1904-2000. He said the courts say what Japan is doing isn’t science. When he says courts he means the United Nations, but Japan’s not paying mind to that.

At the end of Friedlaender’s speech he asked if anyone had any questions. There were a lot of retirees in the room. This is Dana Point where mostly only a more mature crowd can afford. So, a man started to tell Friedlaender about his trip to Antarctica and how it rained a lot, which is unusual. Then a man said how he also went to Antarctica. And yet another, a woman, said she took a cruise to Antarctica and didn’t Friedlaender think it was such a shame to have all these tourists going to Antarctica? Friedlaender disagreed he was sorry the people didn’t get out on the ice near Palmer Station. He said if people had a greater connection with the earth and the creatures then people would be more apt to protect it.

It’s like, okay people rub it in. You have traveled all over the world and the last place you’ve been is Antarctica for $10 to $15K a person for 19 days because you have the money and the time! If you’re interested I found a post card of information at the Ocean Institute about a trip to Antarctica. Quest for Whales and Landscapes of the Antarctic Peninsula, March 8-26, 2016, Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris. See you there! I wish.